An array of activities, such as night fairs, entertainment programs, sports events, performances and night tours, have driven night economy in the summer season in Shanghai and Sichuan.
Shanghai launched a night festival on Friday and the city has come more alive after dark. In the coming four months until September 30, Shanghai will roll out 130 themed and distinctive summer night activities to enliven its night economy.
The night activities center around shopping, dining, recreation, reading, performing, sports and tours, this with more than 130 themed events under the slogan "Night Live Goes On," including Trendy Sports Night, E-Sports Life Month, and the Shanghai Night Live Music Season.
A three-day opening carnival of the festival kicked off in downtown Changning District on Friday evening, with theme parties, food markets and night running event.
"I am a night running enthusiast. There are some coffee shops and 24-hour convenience stores nearby, where we can drop in when we feel tired," said Yang Jieqiong, a local resident.
During the festival, some business areas in Hongkou District have extended their operation to wee hours. In collaboration with theaters, cinemas and restaurants, the district has rolled out a series of special offers, for example consumers can enjoy discounts at restaurants if they show movie ticket stubs or they can have discounted movie packages if they show a restaurant receipt.
For the first time, this year's Shanghai Night Festival launched a special bus route connecting the city's top landmark nightlife clusters.
"We will continue to promote consumption in the surrounding areas through some popular night activities, including food, music and shows," said Ju Xinping, director of the Order Department of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.
The night cruise program on the Fuxi River in Zigong City, southwest China's Sichuan Province is becoming increasingly popular among tourists.
The river, running from west to east through Zigong on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, has witnessed the development of the city and its local salt industry of more than 1,000 years. The night cruise program gives tourists a chance to appreciate the urban history, local culture and a light show aboard.
Cruising 5.3 kilometers in about 50 minutes, tourists can appreciate a light show blending Zigong's traditional lantern-making skills and modern audio-visual technologies and feel the beauty of the city embedded in the winding river scenery. The cruise tour also features a feast of local culture. When the boat passes by a century-old architecture built by salt traders in the old days, tourists can enjoy wonderful folk performances, including the magical face-changing in Sichuan Opera, Sichuan Qingyin (arias sung without makeup or musical accompaniment) and tea art performances.
According to local authorities, since it was launched in 2019, the night cruise program on the Fuxi River has entertained an average of 45,000 tourists each year, driving an annual cruise-related economic revenue of more than five million yuan (about 700,000 U.S. dollars). The once golden channel for salt transportation has now become a new engine driving the city's night economy.
Diverse activities boost night economy in Shanghai, Sichuan
